


I Will Crawl Through Hell For You

by DestielHardcoreLove, Swlfangirl



Series: Cleaning Out the Que [6]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Cowboy Benny Lafitte, Cowboy Dean Winchester, Kidnapping, M/M, Married Life, Vampire Benny Lafitte
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 14:35:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19443436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestielHardcoreLove/pseuds/DestielHardcoreLove, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swlfangirl/pseuds/Swlfangirl
Summary: Dean and Benny are taking care of their farm when a bad storm rolls through.  They make it through the night in the shelter only for Benny disappear after walking outside for fresh air.2 years, 4 months, 13 days.





	I Will Crawl Through Hell For You

* * *

Benny whistled softly as he sprinkled the feed out for the clucking chickens at his feet. There were six of them now, the number slowly increasing but should pick up since they finally got their rooster. 

Across their small but modest slice of land they were slowly turning into a humble farm was his husband, Dean. The man had stripped off his shirt, his muscles on full display as he hacked into the earth, trying to get it to soften up for the plot of fruit they wanted to try growing.

Dean had been the most beautiful soul Benny ever met. From those magnificent green eyes to his addicting laugh, Benny had been hooked from the first moment they looked at each other. 

“Hey cher, might need to take a break,” Benny called out pointing up at the sky. There’d been warnings of a lightning storm all day, both of them hoping that it wouldn’t come in their area. Of course, they weren’t that fortunate.

“Alright, get the chickens back in the coop. I’ll batten down the barn and meet you back at the house to tighten it up before we head down to the cellar,” Dean answered, wiping the sweat from his forehead before doing the same with his palms against the rough denim of his jeans. Before he headed off to the barn he turned to his husband and said, “I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as they say it will but better safe than sorry.” 

Benny nodded and started clapping his hands, getting the girls back into the coop. He got the latch tightened up along with the flaps on the sides. Then he hurried towards the barn to help Dean get everything locked up there. It didn’t take long but by the time they were heading to the cellar, the wind had picked up.

“I hope you’re right,” Benny said, looking up at the sky a bit worriedly. He’d experienced bad weather out on the sea before, he still wasn’t sure which was worse though.

Dean rubbed at the back of his neck. He loved everything that filled his days, well most days at least. He honestly couldn’t have asked for anything more, but it wasn’t an easy life. He was sore from head to toe most evenings and he knew Benny was too. “C’mon, I snagged some leftover biscuits and Miss Bertie’s marmalade on the way down. Let’s get em in the microwave before the power goes out.” 

Benny nodded quickly, his hand finding Dean’s as they headed down into the cellar. The door had several deadbolts that Dean got into place and soon they were in the almost too quiet storm cellar. They had it packed of anything and everything they would need for the next couple of hours but Benny always hoped it wouldn’t last that long.

“Maybe if we do get a twister, it’ll help till the soil,” Benny laughed softly.

“Well that’s certainly one way to look at it,” Dean answered, shaking his head a little. He laughed a little as he thought about it and even more when he finished his reply. “I’m more worried about the animals than anything else. Hell, the house is barely standing as it is.” 

Benny winced, “I know...cher...do you regret this? At all?” he asked softly. He’d been wanting to ask it for a few weeks now. Every night a new muscle hurt and they barely had enough time for each other except to pat the other on the arm before passing out. 

“Nah, not even a little,” Dean promised, “Sure, it’s hard as hell and everything feels like it might just fall in around us without the help of the tornado but building a home, a life with you? That’s never something I would regret, Ben.” 

Benny sighed with relief, “Same here sweetheart,” he said gently pulling Dean in for a hug. The wind was picking up by the second and he needed the grounding touch of his husband. 

“You said something about food?” Benny said after a few minutes, pulling away to give Dean a cheeky smile.

“I swear feeding you is more expensive than feeding the herd,” Dean teased, though he loved making sure his husband was full and satisfied in every way imaginable. 

He heated them both up a biscuit with a little butter and a heavy smear of the sweet fruit marmalade. 

“If everything is alright in the mornin’ we need to mend that back fence first thing,” he said, thinking about his to-do list that just seemed to keep on growing. He sighed, he knew he had to get the land ready for planting too, as soon as possible or they were going to miss the first season and then they’d really be screwed. 

“Think it’s about time to call in some backup,” Benny chuckled, moving to wrap his arms around Dean’s middle, “She’s got all those kids that need to be put to work as she says,” he said.

Dean laughed, “They could help out, sure...but there’s still a lot of work to do Ben.” 

He melted into Benny’s strong, sturdy arms and allowed his husband’s touch to comfort him, even if everything felt like it could fall apart at any moment, Dean hadn’t been lying. He never once regretted what they were doing, just wasn’t a hundred percent sure if they were gonna be able to make it work. Benny was a hard worker full of blind optimism but Dean wasn’t quite so much of a glass half full kind of a guy. So he needed to freak out a little more, but eventually, he always came back around to having enough faith in his husband to know that Benny would make it happen or die trying, he just really hoped it wasn’t the latter. 

Benny pressed a kiss against Dean’s neck and stepped away to eat his share of the small snack Dean had made. Once they were finished Benny pulled Dean towards the couch and sat down, easing Dean into the spot next to him. 

“We’ll get through this rough patch, we just gotta be a little more patient,” he said quietly.

Dean relaxed against his husband and nodded, “Okay, okay I’ll try to ride it out a bit longer. I just...I worry about what’s going to happen if we can’t make it work. There’s not a lot left in our savings and I just, I don’t want you to have any regrets either.” 

“I will never, for not even a second, regret anything involving you cher,” Benny said, turning his head to nuzzle against Dean. They fell asleep like that, snuggled with one another as the wind howled and the earth shook. By the time Benny woke up though, it was dead silent. As carefully as he could, he slipped out from under Dean and crept towards the door. It was dark out and everything sounded still. He could hear the distant sounds of their animals but that was it.

He tried to wake Dean up but the poor guy was completely out cold. Shaking his head Benny went back to the door to step outside. It got stuffy in the cellar so Benny left it open. He was just stretching his arms up above his head when something slammed into him from the side, knocking him out.

* * *

Dean scrubbed a hand over his face, as he fought off the morning migraine. 

_2 years, 4 months, 13 days._

Each minute drawing him closer to death, closer to peace. 

He pushed back those thoughts as much as he could, focused on the colt in front of him. 

“Haven’t decided on a name for you just yet,” Dean said, watching the young horse latch on to his mother. Dean rubbed subconsciously against the silver band on his left hand. A sad smile tugged at his lips as the overwhelming rush of heartache flooded his chest. “Maybe tomorrow. Doc Vic will be around in a couple of hours to take a look at you. So, y’know, make a good impression. Don’t want him thinking I’m a no-good for nothin’ rancher.” 

“If I thought you were a good for nothin rancher I would have said so years ago there bud,” Victor laughed as he approached Dean and the new colt.

“Yeah, well first impressions aren’t always that great,” Dean answered, shaking his head. 

He worried a lot over the animals in his care, even more so when it came to a new baby or an old mare which he had one of each. But nothing seemed to weigh heavier on his heart than the silver ring around his finger. Vic had made a few short attempts at something but Dean knew in his heart it just wouldn’t be right, not for Benny, not for him, sure as hell not for Vic. He couldn’t let himself start something when he knew he would never love anyone the way he’d loved Benny; fully, completely, unconditionally, and eternally. 

“He lookin’ alright?” he asked, once Vic got into the stall with the new colt. 

“Looks good so far, now go on and get, give me a few minutes to look him over,” Victor said with a sad smile. Dean hadn’t been the same ever since one of the worst tornados hit their area two years ago. The night Benny Lafitte mysteriously disappeared. Everyone in their town tried to convince Dean that it had been the twister that took him but even Victor believed Dean when he said his husband disappeared long after the storm had passed.

Dean accepted the response and stepped out of the barn, pinching the top of his nose to calm himself down a bit, or at least in hopes of easing the ache that seemed to never leave his head. Over the last two years he’d accomplished a lot, mostly because he hadn’t slept a full eight hours or eaten three solid meals a day for just as long. He’d ran himself hard and it showed on his face, aged himself what felt like ten years in two, but he wanted to give Benny something worth coming back to, even if it wasn’t him. 

Victor went through his entire exam and deemed the colt healthy. He hadn’t had any worries, any and all of the babies that Dean brought into the world were always good. He packed up his stuff and headed out to where Dean was kicking at the dirt with the toe of his boot.

“All clear Dean-o,” Victor said and then clapped the other man on the shoulder.

“Thanks, Doc. Means a lot you coming all the way out here for me. I know you’re busy in town,” he said, taking his cap off to scratch at his head a minute. 

“Never too busy for you Dean,” Victor said softly. The idea of something ever happening between them died a long time ago though he couldn’t deny the attraction he still felt towards Dean. 

“I appreciate it. I’ll bring you a check down later this week when I come in to pick up the feed. I don’t really wanna leave him alone for too long for a few days,” Dean offered, putting his hat back on to block the sun that hadn’t quite settled behind the hill.

“Sure thing Dean. If you’re not too busy we can go out for some drinks, as friends of course,” Victor offered then lifted his hand in a wave as he headed off towards his truck.

Dean nodded but he knew he wouldn’t accept. He’d thought about it a few times but the truth of it all was that he wasn’t exactly a social butterfly these days, and most people tended to let him be. Vic was different. Dean didn’t know why, hell maybe he thought it would help, or that it would bring the ol’ easy, fun lovin’ Dean back to town, but that wasn’t happening. 

Besides, he had work to do.

The barn had been his first project, it was now sturdy as hell and wearing a fresh coat of red and white paint. Then came the fencing which wasn’t just repaired, but replaced with new posts and boards along with a nice bit of barbed wire on the back side to keep the coyotes out. Now, he was back to the house and he’d been putting it off for way too long. 

_“You sure these steps are safe?” Dean asked, laughing a bit as it struggled to hold the weight of his boot._

_“You shush, of course they're safe! What do you take me for!” Benny laughed, grabbing the towel from his back pocket to throw at Dean’s face. He followed after his husband, a loud snapping noise quickly following._

_“Dammit,” he grumbled as he looked down, his foot lodged through the stair he had just deemed ‘safe’._

_“Oh that’s just too good,” Dean laughed, glad to see his husband wasn’t hurt. “Don’t worry, we can fix that. Take me inside.”_

_“Shut it,” Benny sighed. He took up Dean’s hand and together they got his foot unstuck and then headed inside the house. It needed a lot of work. A LOT of work. Not to mention the land and the barn did as well. The entire place had been run down for years, abandoned by their previous owners nearly a decade ago. He and Dean had talked about owning their own farm from the very first date and now it was a reality. Though Benny was starting to think they bit off a little too much._

_“It’s got good bones,” Dean commented, mostly to himself as he looked around. It did need a lot of work, some of it before they could even move in but they’d get it to where it was usable space, livable space and then the details could come in later._

_“I was thinking hardwood on the floors, and we’re going to have to gut the kitchen but we have enough saved to do what we need I think, if we do all the labor ourselves at least.”_

_Benny stared at his husband in awe. Of course, Dean would see the silver lining and the hope in the place. Now that Dean was talking about it, Benny could see it too. The potential of the place. Of making it a home._

_As Dean continued to walk around, Benny watched and listened. Every idea the man had Benny agreed to, not only because he loved Dean but he also really liked it. He waited for Dean to stop moving to hug him from behind, “I love you, sweetheart,” he said against his husband’s ear._

_“Love you too, Ben. Thank you, thank you for giving me this life, for choosing to live it with me,” he said, turning his head enough to press a kiss to Benny’s cheek. “I honestly can’t think of anything better.”_

Dean shook his head, forcing himself out of his memories as he grabbed stale, two day old pizza from the fridge and shoved it into his mouth. It wasn’t much but it was edible and it would give him the energy it took to start tearing up the floor, or at least he hoped it would.

He grabbed a beer from the fridge and swallowed it down in a drink, closing his eyes and burying the memories all over again.

Thinking about all the plans they made wasn’t making anything any easier. So he pushed himself into getting back to work. Once his body was as exhausted as his mind, he might be able to fall asleep for a couple of hours. 

Benny slowly emerged from the trees that surrounded the home that he’d been ripped away from two years ago. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him, tugging him closer. He’d finally broke away from his captors but still, he had to stay away until he knew it was safe. That his husband would be safe from him. It had taken a long time to finally control it. Now he just hoped that Dean, the love of his life would understand and still welcome him home. 

He crossed their small parcel of land, the emotions building up and locking up in his throat at how much everything had changed. How good the place looked. Maybe he no longer belonged here, that Dean moved on from him long ago. 

Only one way to find out.

Benny swallowed down his fears and closed the distance between himself and the front door, the invisible force keeping him from entering his own home. He hesitated for a few moments but finally found the courage to knock on the door. 

Dean checked the clock and then frowned, Nobody really showed up after dark. Hell most farmers were either at the dinner table or in bed at the moment. Still, he’d learned quickly that people in the country didn’t take too kindly to being ignored. Though he’d sure given it as much effort as possible for the first year after-well...after. 

“Comin’” he called out, taking a minute to slip off his gloves and protective glasses before he wrenched open the door. 

When he did, he felt as if someone punched him in the gut and nearly doubled over from the force of the blow. His heart pounded wildly in his chest as a mixture of emotions flooded over him like a damn tidal wave. 

“Benny,” he said, mostly in awe. Maybe he’d been drinkin’ a little too much lately but only one beer that night and it...it felt a bit too real. 

“Cher…” Benny whispered. He remembered every detail of Dean’s face but seeing him again didn’t hold a candle to his memories. The fear of his thirst was non-existent as he drank in the sight of Dean and wanted nothing more than to pull the man into his arms and never let go. He couldn’t though. Not yet at least.

“Where’ve you been, Benny?” Dean asked, leaning against the door frame because he wasn’t sure his legs would hold him up much longer. 

Benny swallowed hard. This was the hardest part of the conversation and no matter how many times he rehearsed it in his head the entire way home, there was no way in telling just how Dean would take it. Or if he would believe him for that matter.

“You have to know sweetheart, I did not want to leave you. I was taken by force,” Benny said, aching to reach out for Dean but the second he did, he felt the burn sear through his fingertips and up his arm. 

“I figured, but that still doesn’t tell me where you’ve been or why you’re here now, Ben.” 

“I know,” Benny answered quickly, “I-I...it’s going to be hard for you to believe I’m sure. I was knocked out that night of the storm. I went outside to check the animals while you were still sleeping and as soon as I opened the door, she attacked me,” he said, holding his hand to keep Dean quiet.

“She wasn’t normal Dean. I didn’t understand what was going on or where I was. She kept biting me though, making me so weak that I couldn’t even speak. I thought I was going to die, then she fed me her blood,” he said, keeping his eyes on the ground.

“Okay, so crazy lady kidnapped you and made you drink blood...for two years?” Dean asked, more confused than ever, though something was clicking together in the back of his mind. 

Benny’s head perked up. Dean sounded like he actually believed him! Hope washed over him and he tried again to step forward but the sudden pain made him wince and jerk back.

“For a year yes. I managed to escape her and the others. She had many of us with her, almost like her slaves. When I left, I had to figure out how to control it. I wasn’t safe to be around, let alone around someone I loved as much as I do you. That’s...that’s why I’m back now and I’m so sorry Dean, that it’s taken me this long but I couldn’t take the chance,” he said.

“Control...bloodlust?” he asked when the pieces finally slotted together. “You’re a vampire?” 

Dean swallowed, taking a step back before opening the door wider. 

Benny lowered his head in shame, “I-I can’t...not unless you invite me in,” he said softly.

“Last time I checked, nobody needed to be invited into their own home, but you’ll always be welcome wherever I am, Benny.” 

Benny heaved out a sob as his whole body trembled. He took a tentative step closer, and then another. The pain wasn’t there as he stepped over the threshold and then within the next breath he was pulling Dean tight into his arms, “God I fucking missed you so much,” Benny groaned, burying his face against Dean’s neck. HIs husband smelled amazing and where he would love to someday taste him, the need for his husband’s love and warmth outweighed his bloodlust.

“I can’t believe you’re really here…” Dean started, blinking a few times as Benny’s arms wrapped around him. 

_2 years, 4 months, 13 days._

“Two years, four months, and thirteen days,” he mumbled, reminding himself of just how long it had been since he’d felt safe, whole, happy. 

“I’m so sorry cher, I’m so sorry you’ve been alone for so long,” Benny said, squeezing him a bit tighter but not enough to hurt him. He pulled back just enough to gaze into Dean’s face and kissed his lips softly.

“Welcome home, Ben,” Dean answered, pulling him back in for another kiss. 

Benny held onto Dean for as long as he was able, which was far longer than he expected Dean to allow. It was incredible. The hazy memory of Dean’s scent was reaffirmed and Benny couldn’t stop himself from sucking in lungfuls of it. He kissed at the pulse point on Dean’s neck and gently pulled away.

“I can’t even describe to you how good it feels to finally be home, to be welcomed back by you,” Benny said, cupping Dean’s face to memorize every new line in his husband’s face. He knew it was the stress of Benny being gone and he hated it but there was nothing he could do about it now except to take up his share of the work.

“I’ll be honest, I gave up hope on having you back a long time ago but I don't think I’ve ever been so damn happy to be wrong,” Dean answered, though most of the emotion he should have been feeling was muted. Half of him was still convinced he was dreaming, or dead, or both he didn’t know. Still, he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

Speaking of which. “New Haven has grown quite a bit since you left, I’ll take you on a tour tomorrow if you’re interested.” 

“Of course and from what I got a glimpse of, it looks amazing,” Benny said, the guilt trying to worm its way back into his skull. He managed to push it back though. It wouldn’t do him any good and it would more than likely piss Dean off too. 

“I’ll um...do...do you…” Benny cleared his throat and fought off embarrassment and shame that usually came with anything that involved his condition, “Do you have sunblock?”

“Probably-Oh, yeah...vampire. Sorry,” Dean winced, remembering what his husband had told him. He was sure there were going to have to be a lot of adjustments, but whatever it took to be with Benny, that’s what he’d do. “We can go early, before it gets bright, or tomorrow evening before it gets too dark. Whatever works for you Ben, I don't care.” 

Benny nodded and then laughed a little, “Might be able to get even more work done now cause I don’t exactly sleep or need to rest as much as I used to. Though, I do want to go to bed with you, missed having ya in my arms,” Benny said.

“Yeah, turns out I don’t need much sleep either,” Dean said before he could stop himself. 

He wanted everything to be sunshine and roses, Benny was home and he felt whole again but there was still a giant fucking piece of him that was twisted and bent and full of sharp edges and scar tissue that he just couldn’t ignore. 

“Sorry, now’s not the time. We’ll deal with that later. Let’s go to bed.” 

Benny wanted to stop him, to have Dean get it all out now. That’s not who Dean was though. He had to give Dean his space where this was concerned. His husband would eventually tell him, either in explosive anger or a breakdown. Neither, of course, was what Benny wanted but he knew better.

“Of course, let’s go,” Benny said softly.

* * *

  
  


As Dean promised, they got up just before dawn and Benny got a real good look at their parcel of land. It was so different from what he remembered. Everything was expanded and beautifully built. There was now a small pond towards the edge of the land where a group of ducks was meandering about. The livestock alone had all but tripled along with the crops. It was amazing and incredibly impressive. The sheer amount of work that had been done while he was gone made his head spin a bit.

“Cher...just how many people did you hire?” Benny asked as he looked down the lines of the small vineyard.

“Doc comes to check the animals out every now and again, was here for the birth of the new colt. Had a couple of kids out here on a field trip during the last harvest but I wouldn’t say they were hired hands, cute as hell but not really helpful,” he answered wiping at the back of his neck with a soft towel. “I did this myself, Benny...all of it.” 

“All...all of it?” Benny gasped looking around again. Two years. Dean managed to pull off probably five years of work all on his own in two. Benny spun to really look at his husband and this time, his guilt was far too strong to hold back. In the budding light of morning, he could see just how skinny Dean was, the gaunt look to his eyes. It made him sick knowing how unhealthy the love of his life was. 

“Fuck...Dean...I…” Benny shook his head and went to pull Dean into his arms.

Dean leaned into the hug, closing his eyes to keep out the sting of air and unshed tears. When he finally pulled away again, it was to wipe at his face, “Yeah, well...I told you, I don’t sleep much. Didn’t have anything else to do really so…” 

It wasn’t exactly the truth, he could have taken it a lot easier but whenever he sat still for more than a minute or two, the memory of his husband and the dream they shared would settle on his shoulders like an anvil. 

Benny nodded, his own hand reaching up to wipe some of the tears away, “That’s gonna change now cher. I’m here and I ain’t goin anywhere again. I’ll take care of you,” Benny promised. He would kill anyone who even dared try to take him away again. He kissed at Dean’s forehead and then his closed eyes, “Starting now,” he said and gently started to lead Dean back towards the house. 

First on his agenda was to cook a proper breakfast for Dean and then get him back either in bed or snuggled up on the couch to watch one of his trashy romance shows.

Dean thought about arguing, but honestly...he was fucking tired. He was so goddamn tired and the emotions running rampant throughout his mind and body were unlike anything he’d ever felt before. He couldn’t even pin anything down. He knew he wasn’t mad at his husband, it wasn’t Benny’s fault. Still, while he’d managed to get quite a bit accomplished; the last two years without the love of his life had not been kind to him, not emotionally or physically. 

When they got back to the house, Benny took off toward the kitchen and Dean had a hunch that his husband was about to try to fatten him up. He thought over the last time he’d really looked at himself in the mirror and it hadn’t been pretty. Dean had stopped looking after that, and it had been months ago. 

“Oh I should tell you, we probably need to go to the store before you get started. I’m pretty sure the only thing in the fridge is a stale box of baking soda and some condiments, and there’s probably some peanut butter and bread in the cabinet...I haven’t really been shopping much lately.” 

Dean swallowed, without meeting Benny’s eyes. “I’m going to head upstairs for a shower but I’ll be back down in a bit and I’ll go get some groceries.” 

“Dean…” Benny wasn’t sure what he should ask first and he hated the uncertainty of it all. Shaking his head he gently grabbed at Dean’s hand before he could go, “Do you want me to join you?” he asked.

“Nah I won’t be long,” he answered quickly, honestly he didn’t want Benny to see him naked. There was some part of him, okay a large part of him that knew the man wouldn’t care, wouldn’t judge, but also...Dean remembered what he looked like two years ago and compared it to his haggard frame and he wasn’t impressed. Not to mention, Benny absorbed guilt better than anyone he knew and he didn’t need to give the man anything else to feel bad about. It was clear that he’d already noticed the changes in Dean’s appearance, and he’d been nice enough not to mention it. So really, he should have probably considered himself lucky. Instead, he forced a smile and headed upstairs. 

Benny watched him go and swallowed down the bile that wanted to rise up in his throat. Instead, he got his phone out and searched for a grocery delivery service. The prices of them made his eyes bulge a bit but for this once, he didn’t care. He wanted the groceries here pronto and didn’t want to leave the house or have Dean leave either. Thankfully, the promised time wasn’t far off so Benny got to work getting the kitchen cleaned up while Dean was still in the shower.

Dean closed his eyes once he got out onto the rug by the tub. He wrapped his damp towel around his waist after he finished drying his hair as best he could. Keeping them closed he moved toward the sink, taking a few ragged breaths as he leaned over the sink before he glanced up. 

_Fuck_ . _It was worse than he’d thought._

He’d let his facial hair grow out too much, hell...saying he looked like shit was putting it nicely. 

Grinding his teeth together, he pulled out the electric razor and got to work. 

About twenty minutes later, he could at least see his face again, not that it was much to look at. Once upon a time, he’d been a little cocky, but mostly just aware that people found him attractive. Now...hell, now he wasn’t sure what people thought, nor did he care but he did care about Benny and what he thought if he would still...Dean swallowed and shook his head, no use in worrying about that just yet. Maybe, if he was really lucky, he’d fill back out and some of the soft wrinkled skin would stretch back out and he could be handsome again; or close to it at least. 

When he deemed his appearance as good as it could be, Dean made his way back downstairs. He was surprised to find Benny carting groceries through the living room. 

“I thought you couldn’t-” he stopped himself when he saw a young kid making trips from the door into the kitchen as well. “Go to the store.” 

“I got it delivered, wanted this part done and over with by the time you got out,” Benny said softly. He didn’t have any of his money or credit cards on him, so it was Dean’s wallet in his hands. Benny knew Dean wouldn't care, it had always been _their_ money anyway. He gave the kid a twenty dollar tip and sent him on his way. He quickly went to work putting it away and starting up on a hefty breakfast.

Dean watched Benny for a moment but slowly started backing out of the room, “Well...I’ll just be in here,” he said, sticking his thumb back over his shoulder toward the living room. 

He was so damn awkward, not knowing what to do with himself, not to mention he was pretty sure Benny didn’t even look up long enough to notice the change in his appearance, however small. Not that he needed to, Dean sure as hell didn’t intend to show it off. But being cleanly shaven had always felt _right,_ he just hadn’t given a damn lately. 

Benny felt the tension thicken in the room and he hated it. He quickly turned to face his husband and swallowed hard. He could actually see Dean’s face now and though he was still way too skinny for Benny’s liking, he was still undeniably beautiful. He shook his head and grabbed at Dean’s arm almost desperately, “Please...stay in here with me,” he whispered.

Dean nodded, he guessed he could do that. 

The tension didn’t quite go away, even after they ate. Benny didn’t know what to do. They needed time, that much was obvious but Benny was selfish and impatient. He wanted their relationship back. To hold Dean and to kiss him like he used to. Benny looked up from his glass of whiskey over to where Dean was sitting on the window seat, his eyes focused out the glass.

Benny put down his glass and walked over to him, gently prodding him forward. It took a moment for Dean to understand what he wanted. Once he finally scooted forward, Benny slipped in behind him, his arms pulling Dean back against his chest.

“I hate that things are weird between us right now,” Benny whispered against his ear.

“Sorry, it’s-I’m not mad at you, I don’t blame you but things have changed, Ben. I’m not the young, carefree guy you married,” Dean admitted, “It might have only been two years and change but it feels like I haven’t been that guy for a lot longer.” 

He frowned, even the feeling of Benny’s strong arms around him felt different. Benny had bulked up while he was away, probably unintentionally, while Dean felt as if he’d been steeped in pickling juice and withered away. 

“I’m not the same either Dean,” Benny sighed, “I know we’ll never get back what we had but...one thing that never changed and it was probably the only thing that helped me keep my humanity was how much I loved you. How much I _still_ love you cher.”

“I love you too, Benny and I always will,” he promised, it was easier to say what was on his mind when he didn’t have those big blue eyes staring back at him. So, Dean found his courage and continued to speak. “I’m just finding it hard to love _me_ at the moment and just thinking about you actually seeing me right now just...it’s not pleasant.” 

Benny squeezed him tighter, “I understand that Dean,” he said, letting his head fall back against the wall, “When I finally managed to escape I was in the same spot. They’d been starving me, hoping that I would eventually go crazy and forget about all my ties to being human. I was not in the best shape when I finally managed to get away from them.”

“We’ll take all the time you need for you to get healthy again. In the meantime, I want to take on my share of the work and most of yours as well. Not because I don’t think you can’t handle it, I want you to focus on getting your health back up to where it should be.”

He sighed, “Not to be a dick, Ben. but you’re a little limited with the avoiding sunlight thing,” he answered and then shook his head, “I’ll try to pull back some but I don’t know.” 

“You’re not being a dick, you’re stating the truth sweetheart. And yeah, I might have that issue but I do know sunblock works. I just have to be careful. And, I can get a lot of the chores done at night as well. We’ll work it out Dean, I promise,” he said.

“Alright, we’ll see where it goes but I don’t want you breaking your back or hiding out there because you feel guilty,” Dean answered softly, his body relaxing a bit in Benny’s grip. 

“I won’t, I swear,” Benny said, turning his head to press a kiss against Dean’s temple.

“Okay then, I guess we’ve got a deal.” 

* * *

“Hey Ben, you seen Chisolm around here?” Dean asked, straightening the hat on his head to keep the cool evening winds from whipping against his ears. “I haven’t seen him since about dawn and I’ve been all across the spread.” 

Benny frowned as he took looked around, “No, I haven’t. Shit,” he grumbled, throwing his gloves down on the nearest hay bale. The damn horse was one of their more stubborn ones. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d taken off.

“The weather doesn’t look too good,” he said, grabbing up his coat, “C’mon, let’s find the little asshole.”

Dean grunted and pulled a little tighter on the reins to turn Pala around. “I’ll wait for you by the west gate, that’s the only direction I haven’t completely covered.” 

“Alright,” he said and hurried to get Belle saddled up. He’d take extra care that night in brushing her but for now, he was quick with his work. She huffed at him but didn’t buck him off when he climbed onto the saddle, “That’s my girl, c’mon,” he said and lead her to catch up with Dean.

“You think we might need some extra help with Chisolm?” Benny asked as they trotted next to each other.

“He’s young still...should settle soon. Colt was the same way,” Dean promised, remembering how little Benny had been able to do with the animals when he first got back. None of them would go near him for a while but once the smell of _threat_ went away, he was able to help out a little more. Though Dean would bet his left boot that Benny had bribed them with treats. 

“Hope so, can’t afford for him to run off like this every other day,” Benny sighed. He reached over to squeeze at Dean’s hand and then focused on finding their wayward horse. 

They rode for nearly half an hour and Dean was sure he’d have to turn back soon. “We’re almost out to the main road now,” he offered, wiping at his forehead as he muttered a curse. 

‘Where is this damn horse,” Benny growled and then went still. Dean’s voice was muffled as he asked what was wrong but Benny held up a hand to silence him. It was a noise that only his sensitive ears would be able to pick up. 

“Follow me,” he called out and turned Belle into a sharp left. He didn’t need to look back to see if Dean was behind him, he could sense his husband in his very bones now. It helped that his husband wasn’t squeamish in letting Benny feed off of him once or twice a week either.

He led the way across the small stream that their property had and then down a small hill. There, tangled in the clovers were two small children, maybe just barely teenagers and their stupid horse. 

“Well now, that’s not what I was expecting,” Benny huffed out a laugh, pointing out the kids to Dean.

“What the hell?” he hissed under his breath, knowing Benny would hear. 

Dean clicked his tongue in his mouth and pushed Pala forward to get a closer look. “You kids hurt?”

“No! Who are you?” 

“Well, this is our land and that’s our horse-”

“We’re sorry, we can leave!”

Benny took in the state of the two kids and frowned. They looked like runaways and much too skinny for their age. Benny shared a look with Dean and sighed.

“Nah, don’t gotta leave. There’s a storm coming, you may as well come with us,” he said.

The brunette turned a sour face to them and stood in front of the other girl, “And why should we trust you?

“Maybe because we’re here and offering you help,” Dean said, “Or because you don’t have a lot of options kid. Whichever answer you like best.”

“Krissy, maybe we should go with them, I’m so hungry,” the other girl said, grabbing at Krissy’s hand.

Krissy looked at her and a pained expression over took her face. Benny sighed softly and dismounted Belle, “Listen, we ain’t gonna hurt you. We’ll feed you, give you shelter and in the morning we can figure out what to do then. But please, getting lost in one of our storms is not something you want,” he said.

“How about this,” Dean offered, faking a smile, “You come with us, and we won’t call the cops about you trespassing on our land.” 

Josephine looked up at her sister, chewing at her lips and nodded toward the men in front of them. She knew it was probably crazy, going with them when they were strangers, but like the guy had said; they didn’t have a lot of choices. “Please, Kris?” 

Krissy stared up at the two men before finally nodding, “Fine, we’ll go with you but you come at us in any gross way,” she said and twirled out her butterfly knife.

Benny chuckled, “Warning taken. Now come on,” he said and whistled loudly. Chisolm perked up and trotted over. Benny wanted to smack him on the nose but shook his head instead, “Damn horse,” he grumbled and got the rope around his neck.

“You two can either ride him bareback or try to keep up on foot,” Benny said climbing back on Belle.

“I don’t think he’d let-” Dean started, only to watch the smaller girl jump up on Chisolm’s back like she’d been riding all her life, and the stubborn asshole just let her, which made his mouth drop open in surprise. “Well, I’ll be damned.” 

“C’mon, Kris…” Josephine said, holding a hand out to her sister. 

Krissy swallowed hard. She hated the big animals but she was not going to show an ounce of weakness in front of these two strange men. She took hold of Josephine’s hand and climbed up. Once she was seated she let out the breath she was holding and squeezed at her sister’s side in a silent thank you for not letting her fall off.

Benny nodded, impressed with the ease that Chisolm allowed the girls to ride him and took point, leading the way back to the house. It didn’t take long and by the time they got the horses back in the stables, it was beginning to rain.

“Let’s go!” Benny called out, ushering them to the house.

Josephine was pulled closer to the house just as the sky opened up and started to pour out over them, it wasn’t a far distance but she was soaking wet and freezing cold by the time they to the porch where the rain was no longer gushing down her face. 

Dean looked at the pathetic things and put a hand up before they walked inside. “Stay right here, I’m going to go get you some dry clothes and give you the privacy to change before you trek all that inside the house.” 

“What about you?” Josephine asked, in a bold voice that surprised even her. 

“I have on layers princess. I can afford to lose the top one,” he answered, shaking his head as he grabbed the blanket from the porch swing and handed it over. “You two, on the other hand, cannot. I’ll be right back down, wrap this around you until I get back it should keep you warm enough for a minute or two.” 

Benny watched his husband disappear into the house and gave a smile to the girls, “I promise you, you two are safe here,” he said softly.

Krissy eyed the man and something finally clicked, “You two...you’re together aren’t you?” she asked, ignoring the jab from her sister.

“Yes, he’s my husband. Stay put, I’m going to make some supper,” he said with a nod of his head.

Krissy waited for that one to leave before turning to Josephine, “That doesn’t mean anything, they could still be perverts,” she grumbled.

“They could, but they’re not,” Josephine answered, making sure Krissy took her half of the blanket so they would both be just a little warmer. “Did you see the way they looked at each other? I don’t think they’re into teenage girls, Kris.” 

Krissy huffed, “Yeah, yeah I know. They seem decent enough I guess,” she said with a shrug.

Dean made his way back outside with a couple of Benny’s old shirts that were a little bit longer than his because he didn’t really have any pants that would stay on their hips. He shook his head, this wasn’t going to look good, but he had what he had and there was no way in hell there was a pair of bottoms that would fit a teenage girl anywhere in his house. 

“Here...these are all we have for now. If you wait out the storm here we can go get you a proper outfit tomorrow. You can have towels or blankets to wrap around your waist once you get inside, but we don’t have size extra small shorts lying around.” 

Krissy took them and nodded, “Thanks. Can we use your bathroom?” she asked.

“Of course, just leave those clothes on the bench beside the door before you come further into the house, I don’t want the furniture or floors getting soaked,” he answered, turning on his heel to give them some privacy. 

Josephine immediately started undressing, leaving the flimsy white bra she’d worn on her frame for some meager feeling of protection. Not that she thought the men wanted to stare at her or anything, they seemed perfectly nice, she just felt so open and vulnerable already that she needed that one extra layer. Her teeth began to chatter before she could get her hair wrung out and the shirt over her head. 

Benny glanced over his shoulder when Dean came walking into the kitchen, “They in the bathroom?” he asked and got a nod for an answer. Benny hummed and continued to stir up the stew he had prepared earlier that day. Thankfully he’d made a huge batch. He had originally planned on sharing it with some of their farmhands tomorrow but he could do something else for them instead.

“I’m pretty sure the guest room is still aired out from when Sammy stayed last week,” Benny said.

“We’ll make do, I reckon.” 

Dean bit at his bottom lip before finally deciding to fuck it, and moving toward the fridge to grab the milk. He poured a few cups of it into a sauce pan and started warming it while he shaved some milk chocolate down to make them all some of his hot chocolate. It had been freezing out there and the girls could probably use a little comfort and warmth right now. 

Benny smiled at his husband. He refrained from teasing him, knowing that it would ruin the softness Dean was allowing himself to feel towards the girls. Benny got the stew covered and went to find them. They were standing just outside the bathroom, the shirts looking like dresses on them. 

“Hey, come on into the kitchen,” he said softly.

Krissy took up her sister’s hand and followed. The house was clean, warm and smelled good. It only got better once they entered the kitchen. Whatever it was that was on the stove had her stomach nearly screaming and she knew her sister was just as hungry.

“I know I came off a little...harsh earlier but thank you. Both of you,” she said.

“Yeah well, drink this..” Dean said, putting two mugs onto the table before walking off to the living room with his own. 

“He’s not very good at this, is he?” Josephine asked, after watching the man leave. 

Benny smiled softly at the girls, “He’s gone through a lot in the past few years. He doesn’t trust strangers much, don’t matter how old they are,” he said and looked towards the door here Dean had disappeared.

“What happened?” Krissy asked taking a sip and only just managed to keep the groan quiet.

Benny spun the mug between his hands for a bit, “We had a twister, about three years back. Something….took me. I’m not gonna go into details but it took me a really long time to get back here,” he said softly.

“That sucks,” Josephine said, sipping at her cocoa and grunting out in pleasure. It was warm and sweet with just a hint of something spicy that made her belly flip over in excitement. “This is _really_ good. Like, _really really_ good.” 

Benny smiled, “Dean makes it from scratch. You two relax, dinner’s almost ready,” he said and went back to the stove.

  


* * *

  


“Did you even sleep last night?” Josephine asked when she woke up to her sister’s wide eyes that were clearly bloodshot. 

Krissy laid there staring up at the ceiling, “No,” she answered. Something was bothering her. The story Benny told them about the twister hit too close to home and though neither men had done anything towards them, Krissy still felt incredibly ill at ease. 

“You know, I get being scared Kris but this has got to stop. You’re killing yourself,” Josephine said, sitting up in bed. “From now on, if you don’t sleep...I don’t sleep. If you don’t eat, I don’t eat...we’ll see how long you last then.” 

“It’s not that Jo. Listen, that story Benny told us last night. Doesn’t it sound oddly familiar?” she asked turning on her side so she could look at her sister better.

“You mean about the twister?” she asked, staring at her sister in confusion. 

“Yeah, that was how Aiden’s dad disappeared and then came back as that...monster. My own dad disappeared in a storm as well. I mean yeah, Benny looks nothing like that thing that Aiden’s dad turned into but c’mon, doesn’t it seem a little fishy to you? At all?”

Josephine sighed, “I get where you’re going Kris, and I get it, it’s not a giant leap to think something happened to Benny too but even if he _is_ a vamp, and that’s a big _if_ , he’s been pretty freaking nice to us so I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt. It’s not like a werewolf that goes crazy on the full moon. I’m guessing vamps are either out of control and full of bloodthirsty rage, or they’re in control and not.” 

“I mean, we’ve never met any of the controlled ones but if Benny is a vamp then clearly it’s possible.” 

“I’ll admit, we don’t know too much about vampires, just that the ones we have met are assholes and like to murder everything in sight. But if Benny is a good one...he’s a huge exception,” Krissy said with a shrug, “Jo...do you think it would be possible...that we can stay here? I don’t wanna go with the authorities,” she said softly.

“No idea, but first step to stickin around? _SLEEEP!”_ She said, shaking her head. “If you want them to want to keep us, you need to take better care of yourself and show them we are independent and responsible.” 

Krissy snorted, reaching out to tug on her sister's hair, "Yeah, yeah I guess." 

Benny couldn't help smiling as he eavesdropped on the girls' conversation. It hadn't been intentional at first but he'd heard them say vampire and that made him freeze. 

Shaking his head he made his way back to the bedroom where Dean was just waking up, "Looks like we really might be adopting a pair of kids," he said as he leaned against the door frame.

“Adopting?” Dean asked, his eyebrows lifting steadily toward his hairline. “I don’t know Ben…”

Benny moved to sit next to Dean, "You always wanted kids before…" He couldn't finish that sentence. There were a lot of things they had wanted before he disappeared. 

“Yeah, kids...not necessarily teenagers and those girls;” he paused, shaking his head a little and putting together his thoughts before he spoke again. “They’ve clearly got some baggage. I’m just- I’m not sure I can help with that.”

Benny nodded, taking up Dean’s hand, “Maybe that’s exactly what we need though Dean? Those girls didn’t just happen to get lost on our property and get found by our horse by accident,” he said, squeezing at Dean’s fingers to comfort not only himself but Dean, “I um...I overheard one of them. They don’t want to go with the authorities if we call them.”

“Actually, I’m pretty sure that was exactly what happened,” Dean said, flatly. He was hesitant yet hopeful, despite his mind telling him just how dangerous that was. Sure a huge part of him wanted to give the young girls something close to family, if not more. But the last time he’d thought about starting a family he’d lost the love of his life for two full years and a quarter of another. “Not everything is divine intervention, Benny.” 

“Well, maybe it’s the universe finally saying it’s fucking sorry for taking so much from us,” Benny growled out. He let out a heavy sigh and dragged a hand down his face, “I’m gonna go make some breakfast,” he said, lifting their hands up to kiss Dean’s fingers before raising up from the bed.

Dean knew that what he’d said weighted heavily on Benny, that his reluctance to jump in would be a point of contention after they’d finally got into a good groove. It wasn’t like it had been before he was taken but it was as close as they were likely to get. Dean just worried that Benny was trying to make up for lost time, among other things. He knew the guilt of their time apart would not be something his husband could forget, but something else to focus their attention on could potentially do a lot to alleviate some of it. 

* * *

Dean sighed, heading upstairs with some stuff he’d dug out of the attic. It was all old and he wasn’t sure it would fit but it had to be closer than the tee shirts they’d worn to bed. 

He stood outside the door and took a deep breath, and then knocked. “Girls? You up?” 

Josephine was surprised to see that her sister was actually sleeping for a change. She went to the door and eased it open as quietly as possible. 

“Hi, Dean.” 

“Hey, I brought you somethin’ not sure if it’ll work but if not you can keep what you have on until we get to the store later,” he said, passing the clothes through the small gap in the door. “Breakfast in thirty, you’ll probably want to eat then because we won’t be cooking again before evenin’.” 

Krissy sat up with a yawn as the door closed, “What was that?’ she asked rubbing at her eye.

“Food, if you want it. But you have thirty if you wanna _sleep in,_ ” Dean said, adding emphasis on the end given that it was already near sunrise. 

“Food sounds better, I can sleep later,” she said getting up and reaching for the pile of clothes in Josephine’s hands, “Thanks,” she added quickly.

“Sure, we’ll be downstairs if you need anything,” he answered and nodded slightly before he turned away. 

“Thanks Dean! We love them!!” Josephine called out down the hall before she shut the door gently behind him. 

“Wait...did I overhear him say he was going to take us to the store?” Krissy hissed out as she pulled out one of the baseball jersey shirts. It was going to be big on her like the shirts they had slept in but they’d make do until their original clothes were cleaned up. The basketball shorts at least were easy to tie up and knot.

“Yes, for clothes and things, I guess...or at least _they’re_ going, I’m not sure we’re invited,” Josephine answered, before tugging on the other items Dean had brought for them. 

“It would be nice if we could go but I can understand if we can’t. Might look a little strange you know?” she said with a shrug. Thankfully she still had a hair tie around her wrist and she managed to get all her long, unruly hair up into a bun.

“We might wanna keep out from town...just for a while,” Josephine said, chewing at her lip. “Until they decide what to do with us. I don’t want anyone to ruin this for us, Kris.” 

“Neither do I,” Krissy said softly, “So...we’ll finish getting dressed, join them for breakfast and help them out the best we can. Show them that we’re capable,” she said.

“Sounds a lot like my plan from last night,” Josephine answered, giving her sister a teasing look.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” Krissy said, rolling her eyes and playfully tugging at a strand of Josephine’s long curly hair. 

Josephine smacked at Krissy’s hand before grabbing at it and pulling her sister through the door and down the stairs. Soon she was standing at the edge of the kitchen with her heart hammering against her ribcage. 

“Anything we can do to help?” she asked, chewing at her lip as the heavenly smell of _real_ food filled her senses. 

Benny glanced over his shoulder and smiled, “Sure, you can get the bread out of the oven and slice it up with the knife on that cutting board right over there. Careful though, just sharpened it,” he said flipping a few of the pancakes, “The other can pour out the drinks. Oj for Dean, Coffee for me and whatever for you two.”

“Dibs on pouring,” Josephine answered in a rush, “Trust me...you don't want me anywhere near a knife.” 

Dean nodded, remembering the moment from the previous night with Krissy and the switchblade. “Seems like that’s something _she’s_ more comfortable with anyway.” 

“Always have been,” Krissy muttered, slipping on the oven mitt to first get the bread out and then easily picked up the knife to start slicing it.

Benny heard the soft comment and wanted to ask more about it but something made him stop. They would dive deeper later, hopefully, they would have the time for that anyway.

Josephine gathered all the cups together, making sure to be careful with the coffee pot as she poured Benny’s into a mug. Then quickly grabbed juice for her and Dean as well, before pouring Krissy a little milk. Her sister’s stomach didn’t care for the acid in fruit juices and if they were going to work, it would be a good idea not to aggravate it. 

“So..what are the chores after breakfast? We could clean up, or help outside, whatever you want.” 

“Yeah, like I’m letting you two outside,” Dean shook his head. “She looks like a strong wind will knock her over and I’ve known you all of a few hours, most of which you were sleeping, and already I know you’re a klutz.” 

“Dean-”

“No, let him continue,” Krissy said, placing the knife down and turning to face Dean, “As you said you barely know us, you have absolutely no clue what exactly we are capable of but please, do continue judging us,” she snapped.

“Look kid, I don’t know what your damage is, but that wasn’t judgment. That was honesty,” Dean offered. “I’m not letting _anyone_ trample in half cocked and uneducated near what I’ve been building up for the last four years of my life.’ 

“You want to help, we can put you to work. We can teach you about the outside stuff if that’s something you want to learn, but no way in hell is..she,” Dean said, pointing at the other girl for clarity. “Going anywhere near my livestock or my crops. It’s just as much for her own safety as it is for me and mine.” 

Josephine grabbed at Krissy’s hand. “Kris, that’s fair...we both know I’m a klutz,” she answered honestly, though gave her sister a pleading look as to beg for her not to make things any worse.

“As is we should give you two a fair shot, I do agree with Dean about not goin near the livestock for a bit though, we got quite a few that like to spook around strangers,” Benny said.

Krissy took a deep breath and nodded, “Alright then,” she said then turned to continue slicing up the bread.

Benny waited for a minute to make sure no one else had anything smart to add then he too went back to his task. He got the rest of their breakfast finished cooking and plated out, “Okay, come get it,” he said and quickly took the steaming mug of coffee from Josephine. The second the girls turned their backs he took the dark-colored jug out of the fridge and added some of his own “special” creamer to his coffee.

“Thanks Ben, this all looks amazing,” Dean said, gently kissing at Benny’s lips quickly before taking his seat. 

“Aww that’s so cute,” Josephine squee’d a little. It wasn’t often that you found a couple of cowboys making a home, a life together but Dean and Benny were adorable and even though she sort of hoped to one day think of them as her parents, she was pretty sure that feeling wasn’t going to go away. 

Krissy couldn’t help it. Seeing the two men be tender towards each other softened the scowl on her face. It was then the memory of what Benny had told them resurfaced. Maybe Dean was just as damaged and scarred as they were after losing his husband for so long.

Benny smiled softly at the girls and gestured for them to take their seats. Things stayed pretty quiet as they ate, the occasional appreciative groan here and there to break the silence. 

“Well, Josephine, if you’re up to it you can have kitchen duty this morning while Dean, you can teach Krissy here to walk the fences,” Benny said, quickly giving Dean a knowing look before he could argue. Benny still had some adjustments to the sun and though they’d finally gotten the mixture of sunscreens right after several horrible attempts, he didn’t want the girls to see him slathering the crap on.

“Of course, I _love_ kitchen duty,” she said eagerly, and then winced. “Well...maybe love is a bit strong, but I can totally handle it.” 

Dean wanted to argue that it would be faster on his own but it was obvious that Benny didn’t want to hear it so he just nodded at the little spitfire and then toward the door. “You can grab your clothes out of the dryer, you’ll need something better than that if you’re going to be outside for a couple hours. Once the stores open up we’ll take you to pick up some necessities if you want.” 

“I’ll be in the barn when you’re ready...it’s the big red thing,” he added with a smirk before he sauntered out through the door. 

“Is he always an ass?” Krissy asked.

Benny smirked, “On his best days, yes,” he said and nodded his head at her before going out the other door. There was shade that led out to the shed where Benny kept his “vampy supplies” as Dean oh so fondly referred to it.

Krissy snorted and shook her head, “I think I might like it here, jury’s still out though,” she teased and headed for the laundry room.

“Me too,” she answered, resisting the urge to chase her sister down and hug her. 

Once Benny came back through the door, she was part way through cleaning up the dishes. 

“Dean-he’s...he’s a lot like Krissy I think. Hard as nails on the outside, likes to think that shell is thicker than it is, but there’s a gooey soft center in there somewhere,” she added, smiling up at Benny with her big brown eyes.

“I think they’ll get along nicely as long as they don't kill one another.” 

“Same. And you’d definitely be right about that gooey center. Dean’s is softening bit by bit, I have a feeling you girls will help with that,” Benny said with a wink and a gentle nudge of his elbow. 

“There’s a walkie talkie right there if you need to reach one of us. Channel one will be Dean, two is me. Help yourself to whatever you need in here and once everything is done in here you can join me out in the barn but radio in first okay?” Benny said.

“What exactly do you want me to do in here...I want to make sure I get it all right,” Josephine said, a little nervous to be left alone. There was outside work to do though and Benny was obviously qualified to do it, where she would most likely just mess it up. 

She listened carefully as Benny explained how he liked to keep the kitchen and that if she wanted to, she could do the more in depth cleaning chores like dusting and sweeping and mopping that he and Dean didn’t get to every day. It all sounded wonderful as far as she was concerned. She wouldn’t be responsible for any living, breathing things and also, she could stay inside where it was nice and cool. 

“Private Josie at your service,” she teased, putting two fingers to her temple. 

Benny smiled and gave her a nod, “Good. We usually pop in for a light lunch around ten, if you can manage it, having food already prepared would really help us out. Nothing heavy, just some turkey sandwiches and water. Dean tries to sneak in a soda but I’ve limited him to only dinner time so do not let him bully you,” Benny instructed.

“Consider it done!” 

She quickly found a clock so that she could keep an eye on the time. She didn’t want to go crazy with lunch but it probably wouldn’t hurt to do a _little_ cooking. Nothing major. She was a klutz with knives but she could operate a range make some basic meals. Still...Benny had told her sandwiches, so she would make sandwiches. 

“Work time Josie,” she muttered to herself. “Make it good, give them a reason to want to keep you.” 

  


* * *

  


Dean reigned in his emotions as best he could but the girl walked through the barn like she fucking belonged there and not a single animal seemed to question it. 

He’d had to give her a basic lesson in milking but much to his surprise she took to it like a duck to water, even mucked out the stalls without complaint. He had to hand it to her, he’d gotten more work out of her in the last few hours than he’d expected for the day. Of course, he’d noticed her temper pushed her forward and that wasn’t exactly a great coping mechanism. 

Not that he could really judge. 

“You ready to head into town? I think Ruperts’ opens around nine, they should have what you need.” 

Krissy placed the tools back where they belonged and nodded towards Dean but quickly stopped him before he could leave the building completely, “I know I’m kinda stating the obvious here but, you have to know that Josephine and I...we don’t got money. Like, none at all,” she said softly, ducking her face down a bit. It was something she wasn’t exactly proud of but she refused to let Dean and Benny think that they were begging for help or money. They would work it off and hopefully, if luck favored them at all, the men would allow them to stay here after proving themselves.

Dean pulled out his wallet, looked her over. “You worked three hours today, your sister too right?” he asked, waiting for her to nod. She was kind of adorable when she was confused but he reached for a couple twenties and a ten and handed them to her. “Now you do. For the meantime, consider yourself employed.” 

“Wait...really?” she asked staring down at the money. There was a brief, tiny smile that pulled at Dean’s lips and Krissy nearly hugged him, “Thank you. We’ll continue to work hard for you, I promise,” she said gently folding the money to put into her pocket.

“Can’t say I’m going to pay you the same rate every day, but for now you’ve earned your keep and that’s good enough, yeah?” he asked, sure it would be. When she nodded, he headed off toward the truck. 

“Go make sure your sister doesn’t need anything special, and have her radio Benny to tell him we’re heading out,” Dean said, lifting the hood of the truck to make sure the storm hadn’t doused the battery. The hood was a little loose and so was the connection to the battery. Soon, they’d have to replace the old thing, but he’d grown fond of it and didn’t want to see it put down.

Krisy nodded eagerly and found the radio hanging up on the post near the door, “Jo? Do you copy? It’s Krissy,” she said.

“Hey Kris, I copy….” Josephine grinned wider than she had in a long time. “Feels a little bit like we’re back at Missouri’s with the old walkies,” she teased, knowing her sister would also feel the fond tug at her heart. The old woman had tried to protect them as best she could, but in the end, they hadn’t been there for her.” 

Krissy smiled at the mention of Missouri, “Yeah it does. We’re gonna be heading out into town now, you need anything special?” she asked.

“No, but if you buy clothes you should get things we can share, double the wardrobe. I don’t want to waste money on dresses and things that you won’t wear. I can settle for jeans...especially out here in no man’s land.” 

“Sounds good, Dean asked for you to let Benny know we left okay?” she said, waiting for the affirmative before putting the walkie back where it was. She hurried out towards the truck and climbed in, “Alright, we’re good to go now.”

“Okay, Rule number one...touch the radio and die. Rule number two, Always wear your seatbelt,” Dean said, pointing toward where the loose strap was hanging. When the girl wrapped it around here there was plenty of excess but he reached over and tightened it up to ease his already overprotective mind.

Once they were out on the road and Zepplin began to rumble through the speakers, Dean turned to her with a grin, “Rule number three...If you can’t sing well, sing loud,” he said, and then continued to sing horribly offkey but louder than the radio. 

After a few eyerolls though, the girl began to sing along. 

It was an okay ride, Dean wasn’t sure how he was going to deal with all the ways the girls had surprised him, but he knew one thing for sure...whatever happened, he couldn’t let them be sent off somewhere unknown with unknown people lookin’ after them. 

_Fuck_ , he was a goner.

* * *

Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months. Before any of them could be prepared for it, three months had passed since Krissy and Josephine joined the family. No matter how many times Dean tried to deny it, he loved those girls just as much if not more than Benny did. Though the cranky bastard did still try to threaten them with taking them back to where they had first found them. 

Benny smiled over at Josephine who was working on meal prep for the week, getting their lunches lined up and easy for them to quickly grab during break time. She’d also gotten the house completely under control. Not that he and Dean were pigs necessarily but little things started to get ignored. The girl never once complained and Benny had made sure to ask numerous times to make sure she didn’t want to learn the other things on their farm. 

Krissy was a mini Dean in every sense of the word. She was even dressing like him but Josephine did try to convince him that she dressed like that before they had met.

Things had been going well and for once, Benny believed that maybe things were going to go their way until that stupid patrol car pulled up on their drive. Of course, they knew the Sheriff. Jody Mills had been a close friend of theirs for years and unbeknownst to Dean, she was Benny’s blood supplier when he couldn’t feed off of Dean. This patrol car though did not belong to Jody and Benny frowned when someone unfamiliar climbed out and started to look around.

“Dean, we got a bigfoot stomping around,” Benny said through the walkie. Dean would deal with the guy while he got the girls to hide in their rooms.

Dean heard Benny’s warning and quickly told Krissy to hide in the loft, to stay down, no matter what. She seemed like she was going to be stubborn for a minute before Dean explained it was just law enforcement. He might have left out the part where it wasn’t Jody, otherwise, Benny would never have phrased it that way. 

As soon as she was hidden, he took off out of the barn in a run, until he got close enough to the house to be seen, “Can I help you?”

Cole straightened up, “Hello there, you Dean Winchester?” he asked with the warmest smile he could muster.

“I am, who’s askin’? 

“Name’s Cole, new around here. The sheriff said I should go around and meet the locals, mentioned your farm,” he said looking around, “Seems like a lot of work for one man. You got workers hiding around here or something?”

“My husband is out at the moment, but we get by. You said the sheriff sent you?” Dean asked, feeling something _off_ about the way the man was looking around at his property. 

“Last time I checked, ol’ Rufus didn't give two shits about checking in on the locals.” 

Cole eyed Dean a bit and shrugged, “I don’t ask questions, just do as I’m told,” he said, taking a few steps closer to Dean, “That husband of yours...his name is Benjamin Lafitte correct?”

Dean grinned up at the man, “Winchester is my married name, what do you think?” Dean asked, which wasn’t quite a lie, but also very deceptive. “Look it’s nice that you’re...visitin’ with folks but I’ll be honest, none of us are too fond of the law, so you might wanna rethink your welcome committee approach,” Dean said, wiping at the back of his neck. “Besides that, we got work to do officer, so if that’s all…?” 

Cole smiled slowly, “Sure thing Dean, be seeing ya around. Let that Benny know I’ll swing back around to meet him too,” he winked and headed back towards his patrol car.

Dean waited until the car was out of sight before grabbing at his cell phone and hitting number three on his speed dial. 

“Hello there Dean,” Jody said with a little laugh, “Those damn raccoons still giving you problems?”

“Not quite, just got a visit from a fake cop...or at least, not one from Sioux Falls…” he said, barely getting his breath out now that he had time to think on what that meant. “He was lookin’ for Benny...at least, maybe the girls too, I don’t know.” 

Jody instantly sat up, “Wait...what?” she said and quickly grabbed at her cell phone to send out a message to her most trusted to look for a random squad car, “Do you think it could be a hunter of some sorts?” she whispered.

“I don’t know, but he’s probably ex-military...just something about him,” Dean answered, “He mentioned the sheriff sent him and I tripped him up a bit by referring to Rufus and he didn’t call me on it...I don’t know what he’s trying to pull but I don’t like it.” 

“Me neither, don’t worry Dean, we’ll figure this out. Tell Benny to watch his back and don’t let the girls out of your sight,” she warned and hung up with him to get the distress signal out.

Benny overheard the entire exchange along with the phone call to Jody. There was a dead weight on his chest and though he didn’t get a good look at the guy, there was something familiar about him. He hurried out of his hiding spot and gently pulled Dean around the corner of the barn, “You okay cher?”

“Fine,” he said, swearing under his breath. Dean squinted and pressed against the top of his nose to try to end the pounding that had started in his head. “Might need to call in a few favors, but I’m fine.” 

“Don’t close up on me Dean,” Benny whispered, cupping the side of Dean’s face, “You think that was a hunter....don't you?” he asked.

“Well, he damn sure wasn’t a cop, Ben...I don’t know what he was but we’ve got to keep you and the girls in the house, or the cellar...all of us actually, or maybe we could just get in the car and drive somewhere, let Jody and the cops handle this guy.” Dean chewed frantically at his lip before glancing up into those big blue eyes. Instantly he settled a bit, but the overwhelming fear was still present. “I don’t know why but he gives me one hell of a nasty feeling in my gut and I don’t want him anywhere near you guys.”

“I don’t want him anywhere near our home either Dean, I think….I think I recognize him. Don’t ask me why or where from I just do. We’ll get through this okay? We’ll keep the girls inside for now and maybe we can go visit your brother. The sun’ll be...a lot but I think I can handle it,” Benny said swallowing hard.

Dean blew out a breath, “Actually...there’s a place in Kansas. I uh, I’ve never been there but the old man left it to me and Sammy when he croaked and I think my grandpa left it to him. Sam went and checked out when we were younger, I didn’t want anything to do with it but he said it was an underground bunker. I guess my grandpa was a paranoid son of a bitch.” 

Benny nodded and looked around the farm, the anger he usually tried to keep buried down bubbled up a bit, “I don’t want to leave home....again,” he hissed, dropping his head down to Dean’s shoulder.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

  



End file.
